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The doors fell shut with a deafening thump. Outside, people were cheering and celebrating. The air inside still smelled like magic and blood, and the air outside like magic, death and smoke. But at least it was over now.
They had won.
Relief as heavy as the entire keep crashed over Danny's shoulders like a wave. Though he'd been laughing and smiling with his friends just a moment before, he now fell to his knees. Tears streamed down his face and his body was wreaked by sobs.
It was over. They'd done it. No matter how impossible it had been, they'd done it.
Danny had already been born into the fiery depths of Pariah Dark's hell of a war. It had started just a few days before Danny's birth, in fact. And his mother had always been convinced their family was the one that would stand against Pariah until the very end. She would always say that Danny was born to fight the Infinite Lands and its horrors. That was also why she'd been so horrified when-
When he'd come home after surviving.
"I did it," he whispered now into these empty, bloodied halls, "I won, mum. I defeated him."
It was useless to whisper this, of course. His mother had not been of the Ancients or of the Lands, so Nocturn hadn't sorted her into the constellations above. It might be night, but his mother wasn't watching from the stars up high just outside of the too tall windows.
Sighing, Danny used the little strength he still had to lean against the wall. His arms were sore and his cheek was singed. The scars up his left arm burned like a reminder that him even being here was a miracle in and of itself. He also knew that he was bleeding onto the floor sluggishly. Pariah had gotten him good. His arm was cut up, so his rib was cracked and his thigh was stabbed, but his magic was too used up to heal himself.
A soft wind, a silent whoosh. From the window, which had just been closed a moment earlier, an old voice chuckled. "Your mother had nothing to do with this, young one."
He didn't bother turning around to the person that might as well have been his grandfather. Instead, Danny relaxed even more. If Clockwork was here, then that meant Danny was truly safe. There was nobody he could trust to protect him like the Ancient, not even his family. Clockwork might say he did it for the timeline, but by now Danny knew that best timeline Clockwork was talking about was just the one where Danny was safe and happy.
"What happens now?" Danny asked instead of how long have you been watching?
There was a long silence. Then, Clockwork let out a long sigh, his voice sounding much younger now. "Now you heal and rest. You will need it."
Danny chuckled. That was so like CW. Why could the man never give him a straight answer? It was annoying, and it was also the only constant in Danny's life. "I meant," Danny hissed, "what will happen to the Lands now? The High Chief is gone." He gestured around them as though to showcase Pariah Dark's absence. "The war with the League will end. But what now? How can we rebuild the Lands after everything? Is there even enough of it left?"
Another pause, even longer. "You haven't thought about it?" A child's voice this time. About as old as Danny when he'd first come to CW, he'd guess.
Defeatedly, he shook his head. "No. I was too concerned planning to defeat the least defeatable man in history and pretending I believe we can do it, in case you missed that."
"Oh, there were people even stronger than Pariah Dark before. There will be again, too." When Danny glared at his shoes with a scoff, he could feel Clockwork, now and adult again, shifting uncomfortably. "Right. Not the point, I suppose."
Another silence.
Danny sighed. "If you can't tell me", he groaned, "just say so and go hide in your tower. I know by now that you can't always answer stuff."
"No, I…" Clockwork sighed. Danny could feel the old man sitting down next to him, the window behind them closed again. "I'm just not sure how to tell you."
Huh. That was a first, then.
"Just do what you normally do," Danny frowned, confusion and uncertainty warring in his heart, "and say what you need to to make the timeline go the way you want it to."
"That's just the thing," Clockwork sighed, his voice and body turning into that of a child once more, "I don't know which timeline would be for the best. One of them will hurt you, and the other will leave you torn by regrets. What should I choose, young one? There are only thorny paths ahead…"
Well, that wasn't ominous at all. But if even Clockwork didn't know which evil was the lesser one then that must mean they were all doomed. Still, when glowing purple eyes met his green ones, Danny could only think of one thing to say, selfish as it might be: "…Which one will be better for my fright?"
A wry smile tugged at Clockworks lips. "The path you will regret taking."
Danny nodded, decision made as far as he was concerned. "Then what do we do to make that happen?"
"You always end up asking me that question…" Clockwork muttered, and Danny wondered whether he meant in every possible way this moment could have played out, or in all their conversations about planing their future that had actually happened outside of those mirrors?
Clockwork sighed, turning into an adult again. A young adult. He could have passed as Danny's father like this, albeit barely. His own dad had been about this old when he'd died. That was a couple of years ago now. Before he and Clockwork had ever even met.
When the Ancient silently beaconed Danny to come join him, Danny knew better than to disobey the unspoken command. So he lifted himself up onto exhausted limbs and slowly walked towards his- to Clockwork. The man smiled as he put an arm around Danny to pull him closer, but Danny could see the pain in his weary eyes.
"Look, young one," he commanded, gently tapping against the mirror hanging on the wall. The image rippled, as it always did when Clockwork showed him something, and turned to new pictures.
Ellie. And she was… fighting? Against warriors, all of them wore blood red paint. She didn't. Why would she have to fight warriors? She was loosing, too. And thin. The poor girl looked like she hadn't eaten anything in a long time. Her hair was matted with dirt, and her cheeks were sunken in. There were awfully dark circles underneath her eyes. She had no chance to fight of the hoard of warriors obviously gunning for her life. Helplessly, Danny had to watch as his dear sister was driven to the edge of a cliff, stumbled and-
The image rippled again before he had to watch Ellie fall, and Danny was grateful for it. But he wasn't grateful that the new picture showed none other than his brother, clad in rags and sitting behind bars. His arms and legs were covered in cuts and bruises, and he was shivering in the cold. The cell he was held in was trashed, too. He'd obviously tried to bend the iron bars or to break the stone walls. But there was barely even a scratch, just a lot of scorch marks.
One again, the image rippled. Jazz this time. Fiery red hair and turquoise armor, blue eyes and a bloodied lip. Her sword, the same one their mother used to carry, wavered in her hands as the people of Amity threw stones and burning torches towards her. Clockwork was merciful enough not to have Danny hear what was being yelled at his kind, gentle sister - but their lips spat the words so clearly he could still make out at least one of them: "Witch"
"Right now," Clockwork said gently, his hand raising to halt the image in its tracks, "there is the possibility that your entire fright will be betrayed and tormented. The Shadowborn will be hunted down and caged as mindless monsters again. Your younger sister will be condemned for her relation to Vladimir. The people of Amity will find out who she is to you and misdirect their scorn for you onto her. Samantha's life will be safe, as Undergrowth has taken her into his care, but they will hate her enough to case an… accident. One which will render her unable to remember anything before that moment. As for your other friend, he will be betrayed and killed in his sleep by some idiots who think a foreigner should never have been trusted with the secrets to alchemy."
That was horrible. No. No way! Why would-
Danny had given his childhood for these people! He'd protected them as Clockwork's protégé, and then he'd gone through his coming-of-age ceremony years too early, just so he could lead the revolution and free them of Pariah. And, sure, he hadn't just done it out of the kindness of his heart. Mainly, he'd done it to protect his fright.
Still, though. How could they?! How could they allow this to happen to his fright, after everything?
"There's a possibility to prevent this." Danny was sure of it. Clockwork might not always understand the worries of those who couldn't see every possible outcome for every situation ever, but he was not a sadist. If this was the only possible future, he would have allowed Danny to enjoy the time he still had left being happy.
"There is," Clockwork nodded, though he didn't sound like he expected Danny to like the idea very much. So when he raised his hand once more to tap the mirror, Danny braced himself for more bad news.
The image rippled.
And he saw a young man sitting in the council room, looking bored out of his mind. Glowing green eyes and long, magically white hair. An outfit fashioned out of black wyvern leather and will-o-wisps. And atop his head…
"The crown of fire?" Danny asked, suddenly breathless.
"Yes," Clockwork confirmed.
"Atop my head?"
"Yes."
"I'm High Chief?"
"The one and only." Clockwork nodded, turning away from the mirror and shattering the image in the process. Danny couldn't do the same, could only stare at his own reflection in bafflement. "You won't hate it as much as you think you will," he distantly heard Clockwork reassure him, "Besides, you will marry a wonderful person whom you'll truly love and who will-"
"I don't care about that," Danny hissed, interrupting Clockwork, "I care about the fright I already have. Will they be safe?"
There was a long beat of silence. Then Clockwork sighed. "If you make them your clan, and if you accept the crown? Most likely. But if there is to be any chance of them surviving and thriving as you wish for them, then you will have to be the one to rule. There is no other way."
The laugh he let out sounded hysterical, even to Danny's own ears. "I fought for my freedom! Not for some tyrant's power."
"I'm aware," Clockwork sighed, "but you will need that power, I'm afraid."
"But I-" Finally able to look away from the mirror, Danny turned to Clockwork and desperately gripped the older man by the shoulders. "I'm fourteen. There's no way I can rule an entire country!"
"You ruled an entire rebellion," Clockwork reminded him with a shrug. Danny hated how nonchalant he looked. Then again, of course he did. He'd had all of eternity to deal with this. But it was news to Danny!
"That's completely different, and you know it," he hissed, pushing away from Clockwork. "I did all of this to be free."
"Is your freedom worth the lives of your friends to you?" Clockwork sounded merely curious, but the thought turned the air in Danny's lunges to stone. "Because you will be fine either way. It is your choice."
"Don't," Danny hissed, "Don't! You don't do that. You don't give people choices, Clockwork, that's not how you handle anything. You watch what is best for everyone, and then you make sure it happens. You don't… You never let anyone else decide the fate of the world!"
"I am now," Clockwork disagreed, "Young one, I care for your family. I do. But the most precious human to me are you, so as long as you get the future you want I will be content."
"That's selfish," Danny accused, as though demanding Clockwork always bare the weight of the literal destiny of the world alone wasn't.
"It very much is," Clockwork agreed, still speaking so gently, "However, after thousands of years I feel I have the right to be selfish. At least today. And I promise, after this I won't allow myself anymore. But just this once… I don't want to be hated for the choice I make."
Shakily, Danny looked up. His vision was blurred by tears, but when he blinked he could still see Clockwork's sad smile. "I don't think I could stand being hated by you, young one."
It made sense, he guessed. Danny didn't want to resent Clockwork for his choices either. After all, the man had been there for him ever since his first family had thrown him out. Clockwork had raised him as much as his parents did, and he'd taught him all about magic and being who he wanted to be.
Sniffing, Danny walked over to Clockwork and griped his cloak tightly. The Ancient mutely wrapped him up in his arms. "I don't think I could hate you," Danny admitted to him.
The only answer he got from the dragonic deity was a noncommittal hum.
Once his tears had dried - which took an embarrassingly long time - Danny let go of Clockwork with a sigh. The Ancient only squeezed him tighter in turn. "How about you allow me to make you my grandchild now?"
"And what would that change?" Danny asked, already knowing Clockworks answer. They'd had this conversation before. A lot. All the time.
Clockwork hummed again, pressing a clumsy kiss onto Danny's hair, very obviously still not used to doing such a thing in human form. "It would make me happy."
Giggling, Danny squirmed out of the Ancient's protective grasp. "Ha! Thanks, but no thanks. I choose to live and die a human, CW. You know that." Clockwork raised an eyebrow, looking around Danny at something he himself couldn't see. Still, he knew from experience that it was his magic the Ancient was looking at, so he still blushed. "Fine! As human as I can be."
A soft but somewhat sad smile grazed Clockwork's lips. "Very well. I will not make you my grandchild." His smile turned into a smirk. "For now."
"Forever," Danny corrected lightly, only succeeding in making CW's smirk widen. Cocky old geezer…
Sighing, the young boy turned around to look at the now normal mirror. "I… don't want that kind of power," he admitted softly, "But I don't want to loose someone again either. I want that even less, I think."
CW nodded, not interjecting before Danny had found the words to ask what he meant to.
"If I only need the power," he slowly asked, lips and fingers numb, "then couldn't I become the regent instead? I could rule for as long as is necessary and then I could hand off the crown to whoever is suitable once the danger passed. Right?"
Clockwork tilted his head, looking at the mirror for a long moment. "It is risky," he finally answered, "but possible. How will you remain in power, if you won't place yourself beneath the crown?"
"I'll act as regent while Pariah is in the dungeons," Danny suggested, "and go through the entire process of becoming an active heir to the crown."
"An Presiding Heir Apparent, huh?" Clockwork hummed. And he didn't sound opposed, which was good. But also, Danny had no clue what that even meant.
"I don't know what any of those words mean," he deadpanned.
"It means you are the heir to the crown that will almost certainly inherit the position, and that you have the temporary authority to rule while the High Chief is… otherwise disposed."
Ah. Alright, then. "Yes," Danny agreed, "that."
"Well, you are technically in the passive line of succession right now, even if you are the only heir currently. I suppose you could name that as a reason…" Clockwork mused, "However, you know the Council of Observants does not like you. They certainly won't make it easy for you to prove yourself and become an active heir."
"Right," Danny agreed with a nod and a cheeky smile, "That's what I'm counting on. It will take a long time for me to become an active heir. Just you wait, I'll manage to avoid becoming High Chief altogether and protect everyone I care about!"
Danny knew there was little merit in trying to prove anything to the Ancient who controlled and protected time and fate. Clockwork knew it, too. Still, sometimes he just needed to pretend he could change what Clockwork saw. Besides, there was a first time for everything! Who knew? Perhaps this was the one time in his existence that Clockwork had missed a possible timeline.
"If it soothes you," Clockwork said, completely ignoring Danny's attempt at convincing himself, "this is the choice with which the Infinite Lands will be most likely to thrive."
All Danny could do when he heard that was snort and stare at Clockwork disbelievingly. "You can't honestly mean that!"
"He can't mean what?" Dan's voice suddenly asked behind him. Whirling around, Danny found all three of his siblings standing there, Jazz still clad in the wanderer's garb that hid her identity.
"Oh," Clockwork answered, sounding awfully bemused, "I was just telling the young one here that he will have to inherit the crown now."
It was a bit hurtful to see the way Jazz's shoulders slumped in resignation and Ellie's face scrunched up in judgement. Dan, meanwhile, just looked at Danny in utter confusion. "You didn't know?"
What?
"Am I…" He didn't want to ask. Still, he felt he had to. "Am I the last one to know?"
"Yes!"
Danny also felt like it wasn't necessary for all four of them to yell that in unison. Wasn't his pride hurt enough already?